Sweden prides itself on equality – so why is its political gender gap growing?

Sweden, long celebrated as a global leader in gender equality, is seeing that progress tested at the ballot box, according to The Guardian. A new survey ahead of September's general election shows twice as many men as women support the far-right Sweden Democrats, which has neo-Nazi roots and is led by Jimmie Åkesson. The party is running second in the polls, behind Magdalena Andersson's Social Democrats—Sweden's first female prime minister—whose platform includes smaller class sizes, more housing, and free dental care for young people. The Sweden Democrats, meanwhile, are campaigning on lower taxes, public safety, and treating what they call "anti-Swedishness" as a hate crime. Together, the two parties are expected to capture more than fifty percent of the vote, highlighting a political divide that runs counter to Sweden's decades-long reputation for broad social consensus.

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